Heat
Anyone who's already a fan of Marian Keyes (and there are a few million of them around the world) will love this collection of essays and magazine articles, most of which were originally published in the press of her native Ireland. Written with Keyes' trademark wit, Under the Duvet covers all her usual subjects, from the importance of owning hundreds of pairs of shoes and coping with a large, bonkers family, to the author's battle with alcohol - something she dealt with so brilliantly in Rachel's Holiday. Her honesty and humour when dealing with the situations she's faced can have you laughing out loud, and Keyes, much more so than any of your ten-a-penny chick-lit writers, never fails to come across as Everywoman. For instance, her delight at her debut flight in first class, when she doesn't want to sleep in case she misses anything free, is instantly recognisable to anyone who's always hankered to turn left when boarding a plane. And her descriptions of life at a women's magazine will ring uncomfortably true to those who have experienced fashion-mag hell. If you haven't read any of Keyes' books before, this isn't the best place to start, but her sense of humour and enviable way with words will no doubt win you over by page 23.